BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The elevated PCB levels in U.S. lakes and rivers that led to hundreds of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fish consumption advisories in 2003 may be the result of not only the toxin's persistence underground but also its diffusion through the air.

To investigate the phenomenon, the EPA announced today (Sept. 27) that it would continue its collaboration with Indiana University Bloomington environmental scientists Ronald Hites and Ilora Basu to study the toxin's circulation between the air and the Great Lakes. What the scientists learn will help the EPA determine whether new PCB clean-up policies are needed.